Bobcats fall to Hatton
By Staff
Bart Moss For the FCT
HATTON - The Hatton Hornets' dominating second-half performance overshadowed a dominating first-half performance by the Phil Campbell Bobcats on Friday night. The Hornets extended their undefeated season to 6-0 as they blew by the Bobcats in the second half, 22-12.
Five games into the 2004 football season Hatton running back, Ross Parker, was already only 85 yards shy of eclipsing the 1,000 rushing mark- an outstanding feat for a full 10-game season. The task for the Phil Campbell Bobcat defense, which has given every opponent fits this season, was to stop the Parker Express.
The Bobcat defense held Parker and the Hornets in check during the first half, but his second half performance was overwhelming. Parker hurdled the 1,000 yard mark midway through the third quarter on an 11-yard run. Parker ended the game with a very impressive 266 yards rushing- 202 yards came in the second half alone.
Phil Campbell's quarterback, Randy Cochran, turned in his best performance of the season in the first half of the game. Cochran completed 10 of 12 passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns in the first half of the game. On defense, he picked off two Hatton passes. All was not perfect for Cochran, however. He gave up the ball on two turnovers inside the Hatton 30-yard line- a fumble and an interception.
The Bobcats got on the scoreboard first when Cochran found Mark Wells behind the Hatton secondary for a 27-yard touchdown pass. Cochran's point after attempt failed.
Phil Campbell was driving late in the first quarter catapulted by a 32-yard pass completion to Glasgow. On the first play of the second quarter, Cochran hit Glasgow for a 5-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion attempt fell incomplete.
The Bobcats next drive ended at the Hornet 29-yard line when Cochran fumbled the ball in the back field. He quickly redeemed himself, however, by picking off a Hatton pass at 37-yard line. The Bobcats quickly drove to the Hornet 20-yard line. The drive ended on an interception.
The momentum clearly favored the Bobcats at halftime. That momentum, however, quickly shifted in the third quarter when Parker returned a Bobcat punt 60 yards in Phil Campbell territory. A personal foul call on the Bobcats moved the ball to the Phil Campbell 20-yard line. A few plays later Parker carried the ball to paydirt for Hatton's first score. Jeremy England added the PAT to make the score 12-7.
Randy Cochran picked off his second pass of the night stopping another good drive by Hatton at the Bobcat 20-yard line. The Bobcat offense, however, went backwards. The series ended when a punt snap went sailing out of the endzone for a safety making the score 12-9.
Hatton took the lead with 6:48 to go in the game when Parker scored on an 11-yard run. The PAT was good to make the score 16-12 Hatton.
Phil Campbell did get one last chance with less than two minutes remaining in the game but the drive fell short.
Hatton added a late score a Parker sprinted 60 yards as time ran out to give the Hornets the 22-12 victory.
Phil Campbell's Eric Glasgow ended the night with 10 catches for 134 yards.
Hatton, unbeaten at 6-0, will face undefeated Red Bay next Friday.
The Bobcats will host Lexington.
